'Youth Without Youth' Francis Ford Coppola, 2007
As far as legacies go, New York native Francis Ford Coppola need do little more to better his own. A handful of films cemented in the bowels of great American cinema and five Oscars to his name, it seemed only fair to let the now rotund director retire to his California vineyards. In fact it has been a decade since we saw the name in lights. Yet here we are in 2007, the great man is back and determined to rewrite his efforts post-1990. 'Youth Without Youth' hosts the kind of ambition that a young Francis Ford became known for. This unlimited scope of creative freedom and ideas that encouraged big thinking and - I'm sure just a few - wary producers. It should be known that this is a modest film in every meaning of the word bar 'ambition'. Funded by the very vines to which Coppola has been tending over the past decade, and submitted to one singular film festival despite the pleas of many. It seems in this light that the man is returning, driven by a love for the art - apparently no longer content to just sit back and oversee production on his daughter's movies.
Spanning the mid-twentieth century, 'Youth Without Youth' is a tale of love and life. Particularly the plight of linguistics professor Dominic Matei (played by Tim Roth) and his struggling towards an impossible life's work. This elderly individual has given up hope, when he is quite literally chosen from above and made young once again. Allowing him to chase both love and life from a fresh standpoint and with the ultimate advantage of hindsight. Unfortunately though, with the War raging around him - Dominic becomes the interest of entirely more sinister individuals than impressed language students. With Adolf Hitler himself declaring interest in our seemingly immortal individual. As stated previously, one can easily commend the ambition 'Youth Without Youth' brings to the table. An expansive drama-romance that portrays noir elements and more than a dash of mystery. The fact is that Coppola seems to have taken on too much. There is no definitive genre or direction attended to, therefore the films entire stance becomes muddled. Unfortunately the next logical step produces a fall, a spectacular one maybe - but a fall nonetheless.
It is extremely difficult to pull off a film that moves through nations and nationalities, and these difficulties are highlighted in 'Youth Without Youth'. The correct decision was made to dub those that needed help with the delivery of lines, yet this means nothing when the general support acting is amateur at best. Bruno Ganz, the experience Swiss actor that played the aforementioned Hitler so well in 2004's 'Downfall' struggles through his English, yet even then is given a role as one dimensional as they come. With a character that apparently has no motive whatsoever. Ganz's partner in 'Downfall' was the beautiful and now swiftly rising star of Alexandra Maria Lara (to whom Coppola wrote offering her the role) - here she plays Laura, the object of Dominic's distracted affection. Indeed she does well enough with what she is handed script-wise, but even this seems at points beyond saving as the film lurches onward. Things go from ridiculous to incredulous as science fiction is dragged onto the list of genres on show, with certain aimless chunks of dialogue proving to be a particular low point. So much so in fact that the attempt at including World history seems forced - almost an afterthought from Coppola.
As many may have read already, the saving grace of the film comes in the hunched form of a maturing Tim Roth - who wades his way though pretentious dialogue to hold 'Youth Without Youth' together. There are points at which poor writing rears its ugly head, but when left to his own devices the actor rises to another level. Indeed most of the films finer moments occur when Roth is acting with himself, the maligned Dominic character wrestling with his own split personalities. To say this lead role was a difficult one could be the understatement of this year, yet whatever is thrown at him Roth hurdles. Spitting chunks of tooth onto a rain-soaked Romanian street, or dictating maths in ancient versions of the Mandarin tongue - the actor handles all with a confidence that makes one wonder why he is no Hollywood leading man. As previously mentioned, the ambition of 'Youth Without Youth' is impressive, yet proves ultimately and somewhat ironically to be its undoing. With some incredible acting by our lead still unable to bail out a confused plot and increasingly atrocious dialogue.
4/10
As far as legacies go, New York native Francis Ford Coppola need do little more to better his own. A handful of films cemented in the bowels of great American cinema and five Oscars to his name, it seemed only fair to let the now rotund director retire to his California vineyards. In fact it has been a decade since we saw the name in lights. Yet here we are in 2007, the great man is back and determined to rewrite his efforts post-1990. 'Youth Without Youth' hosts the kind of ambition that a young Francis Ford became known for. This unlimited scope of creative freedom and ideas that encouraged big thinking and - I'm sure just a few - wary producers. It should be known that this is a modest film in every meaning of the word bar 'ambition'. Funded by the very vines to which Coppola has been tending over the past decade, and submitted to one singular film festival despite the pleas of many. It seems in this light that the man is returning, driven by a love for the art - apparently no longer content to just sit back and oversee production on his daughter's movies.
Spanning the mid-twentieth century, 'Youth Without Youth' is a tale of love and life. Particularly the plight of linguistics professor Dominic Matei (played by Tim Roth) and his struggling towards an impossible life's work. This elderly individual has given up hope, when he is quite literally chosen from above and made young once again. Allowing him to chase both love and life from a fresh standpoint and with the ultimate advantage of hindsight. Unfortunately though, with the War raging around him - Dominic becomes the interest of entirely more sinister individuals than impressed language students. With Adolf Hitler himself declaring interest in our seemingly immortal individual. As stated previously, one can easily commend the ambition 'Youth Without Youth' brings to the table. An expansive drama-romance that portrays noir elements and more than a dash of mystery. The fact is that Coppola seems to have taken on too much. There is no definitive genre or direction attended to, therefore the films entire stance becomes muddled. Unfortunately the next logical step produces a fall, a spectacular one maybe - but a fall nonetheless.
It is extremely difficult to pull off a film that moves through nations and nationalities, and these difficulties are highlighted in 'Youth Without Youth'. The correct decision was made to dub those that needed help with the delivery of lines, yet this means nothing when the general support acting is amateur at best. Bruno Ganz, the experience Swiss actor that played the aforementioned Hitler so well in 2004's 'Downfall' struggles through his English, yet even then is given a role as one dimensional as they come. With a character that apparently has no motive whatsoever. Ganz's partner in 'Downfall' was the beautiful and now swiftly rising star of Alexandra Maria Lara (to whom Coppola wrote offering her the role) - here she plays Laura, the object of Dominic's distracted affection. Indeed she does well enough with what she is handed script-wise, but even this seems at points beyond saving as the film lurches onward. Things go from ridiculous to incredulous as science fiction is dragged onto the list of genres on show, with certain aimless chunks of dialogue proving to be a particular low point. So much so in fact that the attempt at including World history seems forced - almost an afterthought from Coppola.
As many may have read already, the saving grace of the film comes in the hunched form of a maturing Tim Roth - who wades his way though pretentious dialogue to hold 'Youth Without Youth' together. There are points at which poor writing rears its ugly head, but when left to his own devices the actor rises to another level. Indeed most of the films finer moments occur when Roth is acting with himself, the maligned Dominic character wrestling with his own split personalities. To say this lead role was a difficult one could be the understatement of this year, yet whatever is thrown at him Roth hurdles. Spitting chunks of tooth onto a rain-soaked Romanian street, or dictating maths in ancient versions of the Mandarin tongue - the actor handles all with a confidence that makes one wonder why he is no Hollywood leading man. As previously mentioned, the ambition of 'Youth Without Youth' is impressive, yet proves ultimately and somewhat ironically to be its undoing. With some incredible acting by our lead still unable to bail out a confused plot and increasingly atrocious dialogue.
4/10